Rock Island, Ill. – The Thunder softball team traveled to the Quad Cities on Wednesday for a CCIW doubleheader at Augustana College (15-3, 4-2 CCIW). The Vikings earned a home sweep of Wheaton (10-14, 2-4 CCIW). Augustana defeated Wheaton12-4 in the first game, and the Vikings earned the sweep with a 12-3 win in the second.
Wheaton (10-14, 2-4 CCIW) returns to Ruth Leedy Field on Saturday for a CCIW doubleheader against Millikin. Game one of Saturday's doubleheader against the Big Blue begins at 1:00 p.m.

Augustana won the opening game today, 12-4 as the Vikings scored 12 runs, on 17 hits, with one error. The Thunder recorded four runs, on nine hits, with one error. Freshman starting pitcher Rylinn MacDonald pitched 2-1/3 innings as she allowed seven runs, on seven hits, with one strikeout. Shylah Dozeman pitched three innings of relief. She allowed five runs, including three earned runs with 10 hits, and two strikeouts.

Isabel Hillyer was 3-for-3, with a stolen base, and a run scored. Cate Welch was 2-for-2, with two RBI and a run scored.

The Thunder took an early 1-0 lead in game one with a run in the top of the second inning thanks to a solo home run off the bat of Welch. Wheaton added three more runs in the top of the third inning to take a 4-0 lead. Wheaton's effort in the third was highlighted by an RBI-double for Olivia Nahorniak and a RBI-single for Cate Welch. The Vikings scored eight runs in the bottom of the third inning to take an 8-4 lead. The hosts scored a run in the bottom of the fourth and added three runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game on the run-rule with a 12-4 final score.

Augustana won the second game 12-3 in five innings. The Vikings scored 12 runs, on 11 hits, with zero errors and the Thunder scored three runs, on seven hits, with four errors.
Dozeman pitched 1-2/3 innings as the Thunder starting pitcher as she allowed five runs, including two earned runs. Dozeman gave up four hits, with two strikeouts. Kennedy Kemp pitched 1-1/3 innings of relief as she allowed six hits, with six runs, including four earned runs. MacDonald worked two innings, allowing one earned run on one hit.
Nahorniak was 2-for-3, with two RBI. Welch, Hillyer, Abie Brown and Soleil Weaver each tallied a single for the guests.

Augustana scored twice in the top of the first and added three more runs in the top of the second inning to take a 5-0 lead. Nahorniak hit a two-run single in the bottom of the second inning to trim Augie's lead to 5-2.

The Vikings added six runs in the top of the third inning and they scored one more run in the top of the fourth to take a 12-2 lead. MacDonald drove in a run in the bottom of the fifth inning with a single to rightfield. However, the run in the fifth inning was not enough to keep the game going as the Vikings earned the 12-3 win via the run-rule.